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Ethics: How are flaws "targeted" in advertising?
From a very young age, we are repeatedly told by the media, society and everything around us that being attractive is a way to measure success. According to a study performed by Dakanalis, Carrà, Calogero, Fida, Clerici, Zanetti & Riva in 2015, women who are thought to be attractive receive unfair beneficial treatment and admiration from society. Other studies have shown that being attractive is associated with fame, success, and intelligence (Müller, 2017; Dakanalis et al., 2015). With this knowledge, we understand that the world rewards beauty, but how is that beauty standard defined? Although ideal beauty varies by culture and time in history, it is defined and advocated by the media.
Furthermore, studies suggest that most Americans perceive physical beauty as important in society as they associate it with happiness, positive social life, and even the potential to get ahead in life. In fact, attractive people find jobs easier, get better performance reviews, are promoted more, and make more money (Wong & Penner, 2016).
Although logically we understand that perfection is impossible and unrealistic, we are so often exposed to it that we can’t help but accept it as a status quo. Advertising in the beauty industry robs people of an objective perspective by making ‘real’ women seem inferior and ‘made for the shadows’. The emphasis created around ‘being attractive’ and the means to achieve such a high aesthetic standard results in a negative self-concept. As if people were only judged by their looks and are not more than them. Not only are women’s body image harmed, but so are their mood, health, consumption patterns, eating habits and expectations.
Communication strategies: How do they affect the audience’s self esteem?
Advertising is a creative field of expertise that uses language and imagery as a tool for influence. It directly affects society through exposure and repetition. The language used is chosen carefully and strategically as a way to manipulate and hypnotize the viewers and listeners of the adverts. When combining this with the beauty industry, which by default sets or at least alters the beauty standards, they create an environment of insecurity. The type of language used is not logical but emotional and symbolic, therefore affecting the public to its core.
No matter how confident a person may be they cannot escape the natural instinct and desire to be loved. Everyone wants to fit in and feel appreciated. Nobody wants to be considered lesser-than and advertisers know that. They know that people tend to comply with the perceived social norms for attractiveness and that is what makes them vulnerable for manipulation. This is especially true when we are discussing people who are in their adolescent stage or are suffering from low self esteem already. Those are the people who are more susceptible to falling victim to the tricks of advertising. The power of advertising is taking a beauty standard, portraying it as the ideal reality and recommending it to women who want social acceptance.
It all begins with social comparison. It is the comparison with the idealized woman in the advertisement that provokes women to internalize their disappointment with their own body. They cannot avoid the implicit association of attractiveness and success, happiness and self-worth. The whole goal of advertising is to convince the public that their current state of attractiveness is not enough and that they need a certain product or service to become the ‘ideal beauty’.
There are two common strategies implemented by advertisers to help persuade consumers: the familiarity principle and the balance theory. The familiarity principle ‘states that people tend to be attracted to what they are familiar with and that repeated exposure to certain people or ideas can increase that attraction’ (Arendt et al., 2016). So, their technique is to repeatedly show a particular portrayal of ‘ideal beauty’ throughout all media outlets so that people become ‘familiar’ with it and accept it as their own. The balance theory, on the other hand, is the belief that an ‘endorsement by a celebrity admired by women can positively affect the consumption of the products because purchasing these products will allow women to achieve psychological balance’ (Tiggemann, 2014; Albertson et al., 2015). Therefore, if people have a positive view of a celebrity they are more inclined to try to imitate the celebrity and buy the product or service they are endorsing.
Cellulitis and stretch marks
Both cellulite and stretch marks are skin conditions that come as a result of body changes. They are natural, mostly genetic, and therefore impossible to get rid of once gotten. Cellulite is known for the dimpled appearance it leaves on the skin’s surface while stretch marks are assimilated to ‘tiger stripes’. Stretch marks are the result of stretching during puberty, pregnancy or rapid weight fluctuation, most of which, if not all, are present in a woman’s life. Cellulite is also normal, as no matter size or ethnicity, about 80 to 90 percent of women will experience this phenomenon (National Institutes of Health).
So, if it’s natural and common, why is such a big deal to have them? Why do women spend countless amounts of money, time and energy trying to reduce and eliminate these two? Why are we taught to be ashamed of them or called brave for not being afraid to show them?
Even though there has been a body positivity revolution, we can’t deny that there is a highly lucrative and persuasive anti-cellulite or anti-stretch marks business. From cream to oils and laser treatments, getting rid of these two skin ‘imperfections’ is quite expensive.
So why do people choose to buy into this facade? Well, advertising and the media are big contributors to this. Everywhere we look we can see advertisements of ‘perfect’ bodies that are a product of retouches and photoshop. The scariest part of this is that they are undetectable to the human eye. They are instruments to manipulate women to hate themselves; breaking them only to provide them with the ‘fix’ for their brokenness. All of this to sell products or services that may or not work.
Avon’s anti-cellulite campaign is an example. The campaign included a series of adverts which promoted their ‘Smooth Moves Naked Proof’ cream which supposedly combats the lumps and bumps caused by this skin condition. In one of the adverts the copy reads ‘dimples are cute on your face (not your thighs),’ making it clear that in Avon’s eyes cellulite is not acceptable and therefore must be eliminated. They are creating the illusion that something that is present in more than 80 percent of the female population should be treated as a defect. They are trying to capitalize on people’s insecurities when they are unavoidable.
Actress and activist, Jameela Jamil, has responded to this campaign on Twitter pointing out the fear and shame these ads are trying to instill in female society: “ (…) EVERYONE has dimples on their thighs, I do, you do, and the CLOWNS at @Avon_UK certainly do. Stop shaming women about age, gravity and cellulite. They’re inevitable, completely normal things. To make us fear them and try to “fix”them, is to literally set us up for failure.”
It is interesting how she touches upon the fact that most of these products ‘set [people] up for failure’. Although they can reduce the appearance by targeting the pigment containing cells, there is nothing that can really make them vanish. In fact, there is no data to support that cream, oils and laser treatments work. So by stating that after treatment, the stretch marks and cellulite will be no more, then they are just promising the impossible. We could go as far as saying that most advertising for stretch marks and cellulite are false advertising. Starting a desire in women’s hearts to erase something that can never be erased is cruel. Worse is the fact that these things they want to erase, are part of life; natural and ever-changing life.
However, this is not always the case. As stated beforehand, there is a new trend in the advertising world which is body positivity. Although the motivation behind this movement has been questioned for their lack of authenticity and marketing motivation, it is still better than the old ways.
Even though most brands hide and demonize stretch marks and cellulite, the numbers are decreasing. In the past, when this would be the only reality, it would increase the negative self-perception that people had towards themselves. So the new movement opening its doors to showing a more diverse and inclusive standard of beauty helps. Just the fact that women can see models who share these same skin conditions, can help them accept something they have been taught to hate their whole lives. After all, there is nothing more normal than being a person whose body and skin changes over time. There are lots of life transformations that happen in our daily lives, and sometimes they leave an indent on our bodies, so there is nothing better than to embrace them.
In fact, it is not even necessary to love or celebrate them; body-neutrality is just fine. Sometimes, in a push for brands to be trendy and ‘inclusive’ women feel forced to love their stretch marks and cellulite. But one doesn’t have to go to the extremes of love or hate, we can accept them without reducing women to their stretch marks or cellulite. Treat it like other natural accepts of life.
Skin imperfections: Acne and wrinkles
Acne is a common, widespread skin condition that almost everyone can relate to. Although it is more common in puberty, it can be present in all ages. However, acne is not something that affects people just at the skin’s surface, it runs much deeper. Researchers have concluded that people suffering this skin condition can also develop depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, poor self-image, decreased quality of life and the feeling of isolation. It is evident that it is a debilitating experience that leaves people in a vulnerable condition with poor mental health.
Although it is something natural, and quite common, it can cause self-esteem to plummet. So many people feel so upset about their situation that they prefer to hide their face from the world, avoiding to participate in anything that would bring attention to them. Their skin makes them feel unworthy, self-conscious and alone.
And what role does advertising play in this? For starters, there is an underrepresentation of people that actually have acne in acne treatment adverts. By showing people who seem to have a flawless complexion, which we know is not truthful as they photoshop ‘imperfections’, they make women who are suffering this skin condition feel lesser-than. They take something that almost everyone has gone through and turn it into something that is so ugly it cannot be shown in advertising or the media. How can something so human be so wrong?
Nevertheless, it has been reported that most consumers respond more positively to realistic advertising. In fact, Campaign’s 2017 survey proved that 47% of respondents prefer adverts featuring ordinary people, while a third noticed that the people shown in adverts are ‘unrealistic’. People feel so passionate about the need for transparency in advertising in the beauty industry that they have initiated the #freethepimple movement on Instagram. Considering the massive impact that adverts have on society and their self-perception, it is crucial for them to show more skin inclusivity. It’s important to show examples of diverse models with real skin with pimples, uneven skin texture, and other imperfections. It normalises all skin conditions and empowers people to feel confident and naturally beautiful without the need to hide part of themselves.
There is no issue in the promotion of products that conceal or diminish skin imperfections, such as pimples, the issue is how they go about it. Belittling women and making them feel ugly or ‘problematic’ for their skin complexion is not ok. It creates this atmosphere of judgment and self-doubt that is no place for self-acceptance and love to flourish, especially when considering teens and pre-teens. In fact, 72% of people with scars or skin conditions claimed it affects their confidence.
Sadly, instead of spreading positive messages and normalizing the matter at hand, advertising in the beauty industry intensifies insecurities. It makes people uncomfortable in their own skin, which leads to greater repercussions, as explained above. It almost feels like they are preying upon those who are in a vulnerable situation and taking advantage of them in order to sell more. The harmful and unrealistic beauty standards set by advertisements are directly linked to the statistics of depression and low self-esteem of people with acne.
However, the standard of perfection and exclusively youthful beauty isn’t only present in advertisements towards acne but also for wrinkles. There is a certain quest, which is deeply ingrained in our society, of trying to beat time. Nowadays, the thought of looking one’s age is unbearable and unacceptable. Instead of embracing everyone’s unique beauty and seeing beauty products as a way of enhancing and not correcting, people are stuck. They are stuck in a never-ending cycle of trying to achieve a perfection that doesn’t exist. Of trying to be something different to what they are.
As we grow, we change. We are not the same when we are 5-years-old than when we are 50, but that is just part of life. When it comes to aging, it seems as if the words ‘wrinkles’ and ‘fine lines’ are forbidden. This, by itself, is quite baffling as they are natural and inevitable. Not only that, but they are a symbol of growth and a life that has been lived. The wrinkles in our face tell a story, the show whether we smiled or frowned or squinted. Nevertheless they are also a symbol for being ‘old’, which is a word that strikes tremendous fear in most women’s hearts.
So many creams and treatments promise the impossible, to turn back the clock. Millions are paid by companies to advertise these products and services and even more are paid by consumers who buy into the illusions. Plus, they are quite expensive. Although some benefits can be found in certain ingredients of anti-wrinkle creams, they are not miracle workers (Mayo Clinic report on wrinkle creams). Again, we can observe how the goals of selling more interfere with ethical principles.
Although wrinkles always signified age and wisdom, traditionally it wasn’t something to be feared but admired. People saw it as a medal of respect. As time progressed and advertising followed, beauty became associated with youth and silky, smooth skin. Something which is not compatible with wrinkles. Nowadays, elderly people are made to feel ashamed of who they are and what they’ve become. They can’t even enjoy the natural cycle of life in peace. They have to be worried about little lines and creases in their skin, thinking that they are incompatible with beauty. How terrible is that? Making someone feel bad about something they cannot change or avoid.
A case which has caused a lot of noise in the beauty industry is in Dior’s Capture range campaign. When launching their anti-ageing line, which is advertised to ‘correct all visible signs of aging to reveal a radiant youthful beauty’, they hired Cara Delevigne (a 25 year-old model). Now, what type of message is this brand trying to transmit to their audience? That after 25 you are considered old? or that by using their products you will be magically transformed into a 25 year-old- Whichever the case may be, it is an example of how manipulative advertising in the beauty industry can be.
One thing is trying to take care of one’s self appearance and age gracefully, another thing is trying to turn back the clock (which is impossible and therefore a very disappointing and draining battle). This advertising campaign is very insensitive as they hired a model that is 30 years, or more, younger than their target audience. They are selling an illusion which is ridiculous and can cause a lot of frustration in their audience. Women who are actually seeking for anti-ageing products do not feel identified nor represented in this image. In fact, they started the hashtag of #thatsnotme to express their dislike/concern/ (…). By not hiring a model which is age-appropriate, they are reinforcing the idea that aging is something that must be battled and avoided at all costs. Instead of embracing nature’s timing, they are consciously choosing to support/strengthen an incorrect narrative.
Ethical challenges
Although advertising in the beauty industry has positively changed over the last few years, they are just scratching the surface. Most advertising campaigns still include an idealized and unattainable image which affects women’s self-esteem and self-perception. People are systematically taught that being themselves is not enough, that their ‘flaws’ can no longer be. They are made to feel isolated and unworthy, as if these common ‘imperfections’ were only present in themselves. If it’s not acne, it is wrinkles. If it’s not cellulite, it’s the stretch marks. If it’s not being too skinny, it’s being too large. Advertising targets natural changes and conditions in women’s bodies and scrutinizes them. They change and accentuate the narrative. Whether it is for treatment or concealing, people are promised happiness and fulfillment through these products or services. By doing this, they don’t only help perpetuate women’s insecurities, but capitalize on them.
We live in a world where beauty is put front and center. It is directly linked to our self-image and value. We live in a world where we are constantly being bombarded with messages and images of what happiness and ‘perfection’ looks like. All of which are artificial. In advertising for acne we can only see models that have clear skin. In advertising for wrinkles and ageing, models are purposely chosen 10 to 20 years younger that their target audience. In advertising for people with cellulite, something which is present in 80 to 90 percent of women, communicating that it is something that can and should be fixed, when it is not the case. In advertising for people with stretch marks, which are just naturally occuring scars after bodily changes, forcing women to either hate or love them. We live in a world full of self-deteriorating illusions.
Choosing people who are deemed ‘ideal’ just so people question themselves and their beauty is not ethical. Giving a message that only if you fit the very specific and unattainable standard of beauty you can be considered worthy and lovable is not ethical. Targeting girls and women in vulnerable positions, who already have poor self-esteem and therefore more susceptible to fall for the advertising strategy, is not ethical. Accentuating an insecurity and falsely promising ‘better days’ by buying a product or service, is not ethical. Taking common and natural beauty-related life experiences and turning them into something shameful to either correct or hide. Repeatedly showing the same type of beauty is not ethical. Being inclusive as a communication and branding strategy instead of genuinely wanting to show a broader definition of beauty, is not ethical. Advertising in the beauty industry cannot keep having these unethical practices.